If you browse custom builds across different boutiques, you'll find NZXT's name comes up an awful lot. One of their enclosures, in particular, tends to see a lot of action: the Phantom. Its unusual angular design for some people is the right mix of style and gaudy, resembling the kind of case an Imperial Stormtrooper might choose if they were planning on learning how to at least hit the broad side of a barn in their off-duty hours. Today we take the wraps off of the Phantom's new fun size version, the Phantom 410, offering all the style without the massive footprint.

Indeed, if you remember the original Phantom (we unfortunately never got a chance to review the case on its own, but the iBuyPower Paladin XLC we reviewed employed the enclosure), you'll be at least a little bit amused by the Phantom 410. It's still not exactly a "small" case, but it's definitely more fun-sized compared to its predecessor. Fan controls have been reduced from three individual ones to a single main controller that runs the entire enclosure, while the drive bay door is latched closed (press in, then it pops out) as opposed to just swinging open. Other than that, it's pretty close to its larger predecessor.

While I've gotten used to other enclosures in this market getting bigger or adding new features, NZXT plays it fairly cautiously (in some respects at least) with the Phantom 410. Internal clearance is actually at a little bit of a premium, and while the Phantom 410 happily supports a 240mm radiator, you'll lose four drive bays if you decide to go with a video card bigger than an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580. Massive tower-style coolers may also have trouble fitting due to the low clearance from the side panel.

"While I've gotten used to other enclosures in this market getting bigger or adding new features,NZXT plays the Phantom 410 fairly close to the vest. Internal clearance is actually at a little bit of a premium, ..."

That phrase - I do not think that means what you think it means.

Plying something close to the vest means being secretive about it, as in at a poker game holding your cards tightly to your chest (vest) so no one else can see them.Reply

For me I rather the ease and usability of the case than the looks. I think everyone can remember a time when working with a not so friendly case was more frustration than worthwhile. This is a hobby, for me at least, so I want to have fun building/testing the system rather than fuss around it.

As for USB 3.0, I wish there were more but you be hard press to find more than 2 physical ones on a MB with the rest requiring front panel connectors or additional connectors. I'm not entirely sure why 3.0 hasn't become more widely popular as it is backward compatible with 2.0 and 1.x.

This case is too small for my taste. Just looking at the internals is making me cringe :)Reply

"First, I'm always disappointed when motherboard standoffs don't come preinstalled from the factory in a modern case. They're a nice convenience and having to screw them in is both tedious and sometimes even a little bit frustrating (for example, having to remove the motherboard and realizing you didn't secure one or two of the standoffs as well as you thought you did)."

You're going to complain because stand offs didn't come pre-installed? Would it be nice? Yeah. Is it something that trivial to even mention? Doubt it. You're also talking about a $100 case.

Tedious? It takes a whole two minutes if you're taking your time to get stand offs installed. The only way I could see it being tedious is if you used your fingers to install them. Even then, how often are you going to be taking your motherboard out, taking the stand offs off, and re-installing them? It's not a daily occurrence for the average consumer. Reply

You're right, I AM talking about a $100 case. The Corsair Carbide 400R has 'em, and it's a $100 case. The fact is, they can be a little tedious, and if manufacturers are going to look for as many ways as they can to make the assembly process easier, that's a good place to start.

It seems like a minor nuisance, but honestly I build and dismantle enough of these things that it starts to grate after a while.Reply